1. Field of the Invention
The system and method relates to sensor networks and in particular to acoustic sensor networks for measuring and controlling noise within an area such as a workplace area or office environment.
2. Description of Related Art
Typically, alarm systems and telephone systems have been separate systems. The alarm/security systems usually have separate wiring, monitoring, and control systems. Many existing telephony systems utilize telephones that have the components necessary (e.g., a microphone and speaker (acoustic sensor)) to provide similar functionality as existing alarm/security systems. However, most alarm/security systems fail to utilize the existing telephone infrastructure. In addition, current systems fail to utilize all of the capabilities of acoustic sensors. Existing systems fail to fully integrate and display notification messages to occupants and the occupants' responses in relation to a physical location.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,529,128 discloses a separate alarm system in which occupants in an area can go to a route indicator. The route indicator provides escape route instructions to building occupants. The escape route is determined based on input from sensors. The problem with this system is that it is separate from existing telecommunications systems, it is not interactive with occupants, it fails to use acoustic sensors, and it fails to use physical maps to display interactive information to aid potential emergency responders.
Other systems, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,366,674, use a hierarchical map for displaying the status of occupants of a building. The system allows occupants to provide location status during emergency conditions. However, this system fails to leverage existing telecommunications system's acoustic sensors and does not provide an integrated solution for displaying status, notifications, and responses on a physical map.
Patent Application Publication 2005/0244014 discloses using an acoustic sensor in a telephone. This system also discloses sending a notification to a user and receiving a response from the user. However, the system does not disclose an integrated solution for displaying status, notification, and responses on a map. Moreover, the system does not disclose utilizing additional capabilities of acoustic sensors to monitor for events in addition to temperature.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,986,231 describes using a plurality of communication devices that are each located at different physical locations as acoustic sensors in order to monitor the physical location of its communication device, and reports acoustic events detected by its acoustic sensor to a manager. The manager displays a map which shows the physical locations, the events detected by the acoustic sensor in each communication device, sent notification messages, and received response messages. However, the system does not take action to control or counteract the noise.
Noise level in a work environment tends to reduce worker productivity. In office environments, a steep productivity drop down to one third relative to the productivity that would be present in a quiet room may be experienced. Techniques are known for noise cancellation and noise masking, but such techniques are useful primarily in limited circumstances, such as a limited physical zone in which cancelling sound waves can be generated and applied in order to approximately cancel or mask an unwanted noise. Sound level meters are known, but the known meters are uncommon devices that are designed to measure primarily extremely loud noises. Such devices are not normally used to measure sound levels typically encountered in an office environment, and their cost is a deterrent for their use in long-term monitoring for sporadic or occasional noise bursts.
Therefore, in order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art identified above, a system and method are needed to measure, and counteract or discourage, the generation of unwanted noise in an office environment.